Three Potential Comebacks For 2023
In boxing, a loss is often deemed more negative than it probably should be. Look at the UFC for example. From the 11 current world champions, all 11 fighters have suffered at least one loss. Compare that to boxing and from the 79 current world champions, 36 of those fighters are currently unbeaten.
Here, we take a look at three potential success stories for 2023 from fighters who are heading in to the new year off the back of a loss.
Billy Joe Saunders
A 2008 Beijing Olympian, Billy Joe Saunders is still widely regarded as one of Britain’s most naturally talented boxers.
After making his professional debut in early 2009, he claimed the Commonwealth middleweight title in just his 13th fight and then went on to win the British title in his 16th contest.
Numerous defences of those belts followed including adding the European title to his collection before becoming champion of the world in a terrific victory over Andy Lee in Manchester in 2015.
He then became a two-weight world champion when defeating Shefat Isufi in 2019 before successful defences against Marcelo Coceres and Martin Murray.
Then in 2021 came the first major setback in his career. Up against Canelo Alvarez, one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet, Billy Joe was aiming to unify the 168lbs division. However, he came up short after breaking his eye socket in the eighth round of the fight.
Since then, Saunders is yet to return to the ring after a quiet 2022 and it is still uncertain if he ever will, but given the fact he is still only 33 it is by no means too late to for him to return to the elite level of the sport.
If he gets his mind back focused and if the hunger that made him a two-weight world champion returns, he could turn out to be one of the success stories of 2023, especially with a big carrot by the name of Chris Eubank Jr seemingly still dangling in front of him.
Anthony Joshua
Olympic gold medallist, former unified heavyweight champion of the world and one of the best heavyweights the UK has ever produced, Anthony Joshua has been under the spotlight ever since that unforgettable summer’s day at the Excel Arena in London back in 2012.
Unbeaten in his first 22 professional contests with 21 KO’s, including that memorable night when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, the world really was AJ’s oyster back in 2019 but then, out of nowhere, came one of the biggest shocks in recent boxing history.
Sent in as the heavy favourite against the 30/1 underdog Andy Ruiz Jr, the American shocked Joshua and the rest of the world when securing a seventh-round stoppage win over his British rival. Like all true champions though, AJ bounced back with a 12-round masterclass over Ruiz six months later in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his IBF, WBA & WBO Heavyweight titles.
A successful and clinical defence of those belts followed against Kubrat Pulev before the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion of the World Oleksandr Usyk stepped up to heavyweight to challenge Joshua for all of his belts.
Usyk had a reputation for being one of the slickest boxers on the planet, and rightly so given his achievements at cruiserweight, but many expected Joshua to be too big and powerful for the Ukrainian. However, Usyk didn’t read the script and in front of a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he upset the odds with a unanimous decision victory on away soil.
The pair then headed to Saudi Arabia for the rematch 11 months later but it was a case of de ja vu as a much improved Joshua came up short once again against the fleet-footed two-weight world champion.
That was Joshua’s third loss in his last five fights, a run of results no one saw coming considering the fact that he looked pretty much unbeatable in his first 22 fights as a professional. Usyk now looks set to take on Tyson Fury for all of the belts in the heavyweight division this spring which leaves Joshua enough time for a solid rebuild.
Once the fight, or potentially fights, between Usyk and Fury are complete, the likelihood is that a majority of those belts will become vacant so with Joshua already held in pretty high regard with most of the governing bodies, you’d like to think it’ll only really take him two victories at most to get himself back in a world title fight.
Old foe Dillian Whyte looks set to be one of those two fights and victory over him and another top 10 contender in 2023 will be enough to get the fans excited that the ‘Old AJ’ is finally back.
Zach Parker
Undoubtedly the lesser known of the three, Zach Parker very much went under the radar of many casual fight fans for the vast majority of his career.
After a fairly modest record as an amateur, he made his professional debut just a month after his 21st birthday and went undefeated in his first 22 professional bouts which included 16 stoppage victories and, most notably, a British title win over Darryll Williams back in 2018, when he fought the majority of the bout with one arm after injuring his shoulder early in the contest.
He was all set to take on the unbeaten American two-weight world champion Demetrius Andrade for the WBO 168lbs before that fight was called off not once, but twice. Then in late 2022, he was ordered to fight British rival John Ryder for that same title.
Very much billed as a 50/50 fight, both men were at opposite ends of the boxing spectrum. Parker was the younger man who’d finally got his big opportunity whereas Ryder was the much more experienced of the two who was going through the Indian summer of his career after a win over Daniel Jacobs and a narrow defeat to Callum Smith.
After an exciting opening four rounds, Parker was retired in his corner at the end of the fourth after suffering a broken hand which was visibly swelling up more and more by the second.
So, what next for Parker? Well, he has had surgery on his broken right hand so he is expected to get back into the ring around spring time. What works in the 28-year-old’s favour is his age and the fact that, despite having had 23 professional contests so far, he hasn’t really been in any wars.
He’ll most likely look at getting his hands on the British title again in what could be a thrilling fight with Mark Heffron and then, depending on whether he wins that or not, a step up back to world level in late 2023 and who knows, maybe even a dream fight with Canelo in 2024 at Pride Park could well be on the cards if he manages to stay undefeated over the next 18 months.